….As Tinubu commissions agency Ekiti Zonal Directorate’s office complex

….. Ekiti has zero tolerance for corruption -Oyebanji

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede has said that tough times awaits criminals and fraudsters in Ekiti and Ondo States as the agency is closer to people in the zone, just as he allayed the fear of the law abiding residents of the two states not to exercise fear of the presence of the commission.

The EFCC chairman spoke yesterday at the official commissioning of the Ekiti Zonal Directorate’s office complex of the commission in Ado Ekiti by President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

He vowed that not a dime of the proceeds of crime money recovered from criminals, would be mismanaged by the commission under his watch.

The EFCC chairman noted that the activities of the commission has been disfunctional in the coverage of Ekiti and Ondo States by the agency, adding that EFCC was a little more than perfunctory owing to the overlap in responsibility by distant zones, which left gaps in its enforcement framework.

Olukoyede who praised the President for coming for the commissioning, said: “Your presence today is testament to the unbroken resolve to strengthen the EFCC’s hand in the war against corruption. The Commission is significantly energized to continue its work in an atmosphere of professionalism and total compliance with the Rule of Law.”

“It is a milestone of immense significance, and I want to specially thank Mr President ably represented by the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, for identifying with this project.”

He expressed our profound gratitude to the Government of Ekiti State for making the site available and supporting the project from conception to conclusion, while appreciating the National Assembly and Nigerians for their unalloyed support that brought the project to fruition.

“With this investment, I want to pledge that fraudsters would have no hiding places in the zone. This pledge is a statement of conviction as the Commission’s pedigree in this region speaks for itself. Those of us who have followed the activities of the EFCC in the Southwest will attest to our impressive record of enforcement against cybercrime and illegal mining activities.”

On the resolve of the anti-corruption agency to stamp out corruption, Olukoyede said, “this was aptly demonstrated in the recent conviction of a former managing director of NEXIM Bank who was sentenced to 490 years. That was quickly followed by the conviction of a former minister of Power, Saleh Mamman who bagged 75 years imprisonment for defrauding Nigeria of N22 billion in the Zungeru and Mambilla power projects.

“Proceeds of recovered assets by the Commission have been invested in critical social programmes like the Students Loans Scheme and the Consumer Credit Scheme. Indeed, students of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State will never forget that their institution drew its lifeblood from the arteries of a recovered property – Nok University. Several other national institutions have been beneficiaries of the Commission’s asset recovery drive, including the NNPCL, NRS, AMCON AND NDDC.”

In his address before commissioning the project, the President noted that the Commission occupies a central position in both the nation economic report and it’s national security.

“Its contributions to tackling cyber-terrorism are evident in the dismantling of a foreign-controlled cryptocurrency syndicate in Lagos, resulting in the conviction of 192 foreigners in a single operation.

Its successes in forcing fraudulent Ponzi schemes and securing Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s great list have further strengthened our economic reforms and improved the investment outlook.

“Through aggressive asset tracing and recovery, the Commission has made resources available for critical social investment programs such as the Students’ Loan Scheme Network and Credit Corp.

The EFCC’s recent prosecution of several high-profile corruption cases, including the conviction of a former minister and a former managing director of a national investment bank, sends a clear message that there are no hiding places for the corrupt.”

Also in his remarks, the Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji said that the state government has zero tolerance for corruption and fraudulent activities.

He noted that that the siting of the Zonal office of the EFCC in the state would serve as disincentives to would -be criminal and fraudsters.

In his remarks, the chairman of the Ekiti Council of Traditional Rulers, Oba Adejimi Adu urged Ekiti residents to expose corruption, saying, if you see something, say something.”

The monarch said there was need to review the procedures that allows individuals to be able to steal such huge amount of money which belongs to everybody and thereby deprive all of the benefits of all the money.